BOYZ N THE HOOD (1991)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre(s): Crime / Drama

Director: John Singleton

Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr. / Ice Cube / Laurence Fishburne

Plot

Three friends endure the trials and tragedies of growing up in South Central L.A.

What I Liked

“Boyz N the Hood” is not an easy movie to write about, primarily because it is one of those movies that everyone should see, rather than read about.  Prior to its release, most films documenting the African American ghetto experience came in the form of the often shallow or cartoonish Blaxploitation trend of the 1970s, which were primarly concerned with New York.  Thick with human tragedy and social relevance, “Boyz N the Hood” avoids the pitfalls of its predecessors by taking a thoughtful, mature approach to urban life.  The movie owes its all-important authenticity to writer-director John Singleton, who based most of it on his own experience.  By making his characters relatable and likeable, he made a movie that proved to be a breakthrough, spawning a spate of intelligent, well-made movies about crime in South Central.

One of those characters is played by a man who had previously been a different kind of documentarian of the same themes, rapper Ice Cube.  He is perfectly cast, displaying charisma and believability as Doughboy, the thug of the group.  Thanks to Ice Cube, Doughboy is actually more fascinating than even the film’s main character.

What I Didn’t Like

To play the character of Tre (basically a self-portrait), Singleton made a poor choice in Cuba Gooding, Jr.  For much of the movie, I just plain disliked Gooding.  He was too goofy and, next to Ice Cube, never seemed like he was truly part of the environment.  Tre’s outsider status is part of what makes the movie work.  Through him, the general public is cathartically brought into the alien landscape of South Central.  But that doesn’t mean Gooding needed to overact.  Maybe the main problem was that “Boyz N the Hood” wasn’t my first introduction to Gooding like it would have been for audiences at the time, and thus I always saw him as Cuba and not Tre.

Most Memorable Scene

In contrast to Gooding, Ice Cube comes off as the genuine article, as I mentioned before.  He’s a likeable tough guy, crazy and violent but loyal to his family and friends.  When Doughboy finally shows vulnerability through his hard exterior, sitting on a porch while talking to Tre, he brings the film to a heart-breaking conclusion, helping the audience realize that even a thug like Doughboy could have been somebody, had he been born in a different place.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5